Needle motion for looms



Oct. 7, 1941. o. v. PAYNE NEEDLE MOTION FOR LOOMS Filed Sept. 2, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR M Y w A P R v. n RZ m A 5 0% Oct. 7, 1941. o. v. PAYNE NEEDLE MOTION FOR LOOMS Filed Sept. 2, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVEN-roR OSCAR V, PAYNE ATTORNEY fixed anchor.

Patented 'Oct. 7, 1941 mam OFFICE nano'neuroanoous Oneal-Y.

Gee-plea Leicester Mmmwm,. Isettl Appllealel m 2, 1m, Serial No. seam This inventionrelates to improvements in weft needle mechanisms more particularly for wide looms and it is the general, object of the invention to provide light weight actuating mechanism for needles capable of attaining high speeds.

It has been customary heretofore to drive the ment of the partsis such that a comparatively ((31. Iii-483) thecurves in the latter due to the sheaves are all in the same direction so that the cable is -never required to reverse the direction of its smallmotion on the part of the axis is multiplied several times to provide sumcient sweep for the needle. V

. It is a further object of my invention to arrange the sheaves and the cable so that one-half of the movablesheaves can be on one side of the driving lever therefor while the other half is on the opposite side. thereby equalizing the strains placed upon the driving lever and relieving itof any tendency totwist;

It is a further object of my present invention to employ a cable the ends of which are fixed relatively to each other and the intermediate part of which is connected to a sliding needle cause a'paying-outmotion of one end of the cable which is just "compensated for by a shortening of the other end of the cable. This result may be accomplished by leading the cable from a fixed anchor around half of the movable pulleys and half of the stationary pulleys and then connect it to the needle carriage, the remainder of the cable extending from the carriage to be trained around the remaining stationary and removable sheaves and then attached to another The cable ends, however, need not be stationary but can move with the axis, if desired.

It is a further object of my present invention to select a sheave of such diameter and space the movable pulleys from the stationary pulleys at such distances that no part of the cable is ever required to engage more than one sheave.

Still another object of my invention is to arrange the sheaves and cable in such a waythat curvature. In this way I avoid subjecting the cable toalternating strains in'opposite directions and hence prolong its life.

The pulleys for the cable would rotate at relatively high speeds if they turned at a rate proportional to that of the needle carriage, but by using the arrangement described hereinafter the pulleys turn at comparatively low speeds, thereby reducing wearand prolonging the life of both the pulleys and cable.

In the operation of a needle motion it is desirable to produce a retardation in its movement when out oi the shed to give time for the lay to beat up. It is another object of my present invention to drive the needle by mechanism which will require more time' in reversing needle direction when the needle is out of the shed than is required when the needle is entirely in the shed. This general result I obtain hereinafter by a crank and a relatively short connector the effect of which is to cause a comparatively quick reversal of the needle motion when the needle is entirely in the shed'but cause a comparatively ticular means shown for accomplishing this re-.

suit.

With these and other objects in view which will occur as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth:

Fig. 1 shows a front elevation of the preferred form of my needle mechanism as it would appear at the righthand end of a loom with the needle in the shed,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 are end elevations taken in the direction of arrows l and 4, respectively, F18- Flgl. 5 is a vertical sectionon line 5-! of Fig.

' Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the movwill operate with a stationary supply of weft will therefore lay a double pick of filling and when used in connection with Axminster looms there will be a selvage shuttle'at the side of the loom opposite the needle mechanism. -Since these parts are well-known they are omitted from the drawings, but it is to be understood that the loom proper ill be located at the left of thestructure shownin Fig. 1 and that the needle will be projected into the shed ment to the left. A g Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2. I have shown a loomslde Ill to which is attached a needle frame ii supported by a base I! and having a needle rail I3 slotted as at to guide a needle carriage ii. A needle i6 is secured to the car-- riage andis adapted for reciprocating motions to the right and left as the carriage slides along the rail 13. The matter thus far described, ex-

cept for structure supported by the needle frame ll, may be constructed as usual and of itself forms no part of my present invention. A carriage II is ordinarily attached to a cotton cable but I have modified it for attachment to a steel cable which I prefer to use instead of the cotton rope. A

In carrying the preferred form of my invenmove'together in a horizontal direction when the lever 2! rocks. The movable sheaves are f located on both sides of the lever. three being in front of and three behind the lever.

by a move tion into effect I provide a cable having its ends fixed and trained around two sets of movable pulleys located between two sets of stationary pulleys, one of the latter sets at each'end of effect I provide a shaft '20 which preferably though not necessarily rotates at uniform speed to revolve a crank arm II. The latter has pivotal connection at 22 to a link 23, the right end of which is pivoted as at 2| to a movable pulley actuating lever 25. The lower end of this lever carries a stud 28 to provide a pivotal connection for a link 21 pivoted to the frame at 2! and arranged to rise and fall as the crank arm I rotates.

As shown in Fig. 7, the stud fl is carried by a bearing foot ll the upper part 32 of which extends along the lower end a of the lever 2|. A key 84 on the bearing part 32 fits into a slot 35 in the lever end 33. and slots 86 afiord a vertical adjustment for the foot 3i with respect to the 'pivot 24. By this construction. I am able to varythe distance between the pivots 24 and 2" and therefore vary the stroke of the upper end of the lever. Bolts 31. Passing through slots 88 hold the adjustment of the lever with respect to the foot. as suggested in Fig. 'I.

A second link I! is pivoted at its lower end to the lever to swing about axis 24 and at its upper end ispivoted as at 39 to a horn 40 on the needle frame ii. The links 21 and 38 provide a floating support for thelever II and the The inner end. or that part at the left of Figs.

1 and 2, of the needle frame I I supports a bracket 41 having two horizontally adjustable fixed pulley bearing members 48 and havingalso a hearing II for another fixed pulley to be described presently. The outer end of the needle rail has secured thereto another bracket 50 provided with two horizontally adiustable fixed pulley bearing members Ii and having also another fixed pulley bearing I2 similar to bearing 49? A cable anchor II also horizontally adjustable in bracket 41 is attached as at It to oneend of a cable C, while the other end of the cable is attached as at 51 to a second cable anchor 58 also horizontal adjustable in the bracket 50.

Returning now to a consideration of the pul leys, cable 0 extends from the anchor and is trained over movable pulley ill on stud 48 and then leads to the left to a fixed pulley 6| held by one of the bearings 48. The cable then leads to a second movable pulley 62 and again leadsto the left around a second stationary pulley 83 on the other of the bearing members 48, after which the cable'is led around a rear movable pulley it. From the under side of pulley 64 the cable again leads to the left and is trained around aslarge pulley BI movable about the fixed axis needle carriage to be secured theretoand then continues along the needle rail to be trained around pulley 66 rotating on the fixed axis 54. The cable then leads to movable pulley l1 and then returns to the right to extend around pulley 68 on one of the fixed bearing members II and thence back to the left around another movable pulley 60. From the last named pulley the cable extends around pulley Iii at the right side of cable extends to'the left around the last of the movable pulleys II and extends from the latter tothe anchor II.

Th bearing members 48 and Bi, and also the anchors BI and B8 are longitudinally adjustable and held in their adjusted positions as indicated in Fig. 2 for the purpose of taking up any slack which may exist in the cable. It will benoted that the stresses on the lever 25 and stud 46 are equalized and that each of the right and left hand parts of the cable extend around one pulley on one side lever 25 and around two pulleys on'the other side thereof. The cable is made of a number of wire strands twisted together and is made in two sections. Each end of each section may be fitted with a head IL shown in Fig. 8 as having a bore 18 to receive the cable end and having an eye 11 for an attaching stud. After the cable is inserted into The pivots I and 51 are in efl'ectplns to enter upper link requires the upper end of the lever the eyes 1.! of the heads, while the needle car- From pulley the cable extends to the.

riage II has studs II for the eyes of the adjacent heads.

Inoperation, the shaft will rotate bymechanism not shown either with a uniform rotation or with an irregular rotation which retards the motion of crank 2| when the latter is to the left of Fig. 8, the lever will rock to the left by counter-clockwise rotation of shaft 20, and in doing so will carry the six movable pulleys which rotate on the stud 46. As these pulleys move to the left the distance between stud l8 and the axes of the fixed pulleys at the left of the mechanism decreases to shorten the length of the cable extending to the left from pulleys 60, 62 and 64. At the same time the distance between stud 48 and the fixed pulleys at the right of the mechanism increases by the same amount and therefore the length of cable between pulleys 61, 69 and II extending to the right is increased. The shortening resulting in that part of the cable extending to the left of the movable pulleys provides the increased length necessary for the lengthening part of the cable extending to the right of the movable hook, and that part of the cable extending between the large fixed pulleys I and 88 therefore moves to the right and carries the carriage it toward the pulley 86 to retract the needle i6 from the shed.

During this left hand motion of lever 25 the latter will pass from the dot and dash position of. Fig. 6 through the full line position, at which time the needle is moving at its most rapid rate, and then passes on to the dotted position at the left of Fig. 6 which corresponds to the end of the needle retracting stroke.

As shaft 20 continues to rotate the lever 25 will start to move to the right and in doing so will cause the cable to have a motion the reverse of that already described and cause the carriage I! to move to the left to insert the needle in the shed.

I have found that a needle motion constructed as set forth herein can be operated at a higher rate of speed than motions heretofore constructed due to the fact that the cable and movable pulley are comparatively light. I have shown six movable pulleys, and since each mov able pulley either slackens or takes up, depending upon the direction of its motion, twice as muct cable as the distance through which it moves, I am able to drive the needle through a distance six times the length of travel of stud 46 in a horizontal direction. In this connection .I

may state that it is the horizontal motion of stud I which is the effective component of its motion in causing movement of the cable, and it is for this reasonthat I use the suspension link 38 which in effect causes the stud 46 to move in a substantially horizontal line. I find also that by making the pulley .of a composition material, such as a phenol-condensation product, they can be made thin and at the same time withstand wear as the cable moves along their grooves.

In the modified form of the invention shown other whether actually stationary as in Fig. 1

in Fig. 9, the fixed pulleys are indicated at B5 and the movable pulleys at II. The actuating lever II has a stud II for pulleys l. and also has provision for attachment with the ends of cable K. In this instance, the movement of the needle carriage is an odd factor of the movement of stud 88. If but one movable pulley is used for each side of the cable K the factor is three, and increases by two for each additional movable pulley.

The unit of measure used in carpet work is the yard, referred to as 4/4. If the stroke of thelevers 26 and I1 is 2/4, it is possible to build needle mechanisms in 2/4 steps without making radical changes in the structures described. The multiplying factor of six in the preferred form gives a needle motion for al2/4 loom. If the width is to be 14/4, the additional 2/4 is obtained by attaching the cable end to the moving pulleys, as in the modified form, and adding an extra stationary pulley. The clearance at the near selvage, and the overthrow for the selvage shuttle can be obtained by a slight increase in the motion of the movable pulleys, and such variations as occur in these parts of the needle travel when the width of the loom is changed can be compensated for by adjustments described in connection with Fig. 7.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simple form of needle mechanism including a cable which is trained around the intermediate movable and fixed end pulleys and wherein movement of the pulleys causes movement of the needle carriage attached to the cable. The extent of movement of the carriage can bevaried by the number of movable pulleys employed and I do not wish necessarily to be limited to the exact relation of pulleys shown herein. It will also be seen that the lever 25 is suspended in such a way thatthe'stud 48 moves in practically a horizontal line, hence all of the motion of the movable pulleys is available for causing motion of the needle carriage. Furthermore, the movable pulleys are not required to move peripherally at the high rate of the needle carriage, thus reducing wear both of themselves and the parts of the cable when contacting them. Also, as seen in Fig. 1, the cable curves always in the same direction and is not subject to reverse curves which would increase wear. Again, the mechanism is adaptable to widths of looms whichvary by 2/4 merely by attaching the cable .ends'to the movable pulley support when widths are desired which are an odd factor of the movable pulley stroke. The driving shaft 20 rotates continuously, with either constant or variable speed, thereby eliminating the heavy gearing heretofore used to produce intermittent motion of the needle, and permitting the attainment of speeds higher than formerly. In both the preferred and modified form of the invention the cable ends are fixed with respect to each or movable with the lever 01, and the anchorage for the cable ends, whatever its form, is the means which causes the carriage to reciprocate when the intermediate pulleys move as described. Further, the nature of the crank drive requires more time to reverse the needle when it is out of the shed than when in the latter.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

I fixed with respect to each other.

' 1; In a weft needle operating mechanism for a loom having a warp shed, a needle rail, a needle carriage: slidable 'along the 'rail toward the shed, a pair of fixed pulleys, athird pulley, ,a

cable attached at one end to the carriage and trained around the pulleys, means to move the third pulley. toward and from-said pair of fixed pulleys, and means to ilx the other end of the "cable relatively to the axis of the third pulley a and thereby cause the cable to mcvearound the pulleys in a direction tocause the carriage to move toward the warp shed when the pair and third pulley separate relatively to each other.

2. In a weft needleoperating mechanism for a loom having a-warp shed, a needle rail, a needle carriage slidable along therail toward the shed.

a pair of stationary pulleys. a movable pulley, a cable attached at one end to the carriage and trained around the pulleys and having the other end thereof fixed with respect to the axis of the .extend the parts of the cable leading from the carriage, movable pulleys between the stationary pulleys, the cable having parts extending from the stationary, pulleys to and around the movable pulleys, and means to reciprocate the movable pulleysyin unison in a direction toward and ace one;

6. In a weft needle operating mechanism for a loom having a warp shed, a needle rail,'ia nee dle carriage to reciprocate along the. rail ward and from the warp'shed, a cable having 'the intermediate part thereof attached to the carriage, spaced end pulleys around which extend the parts of the cable leading from the needle carriage. intermediate pulleys between the stationary pulleys, the cable having parts extending from the end pulleys to and around the intermediate pulleys, means to cause reciprocating movements of the intermediate pulleysbetween the end pulleys and reverse the direction of relative reciprocation attwo diflere'nt rates, one of which is relatively slow when the needle carriage is'remote from the warp shed and the other of which is relatively fast when the needle carriage is adjacent the'shed, and means to thereof attached to the carriage, a set of stafrom the stationary pulleys to causethe carriage to reciprocate along the rail, theends of the cable moving with the movable pulleys.

4. In a weft needle operating mechanism for a loom,a needle-rail, a needle carriage to slide along .the rail, two spaced sets ofstationary pulleys, two sets of movable pulleys mounted to move in unison, a cable attached at an intermediate point thereof to the carriage, one end of the cable extending from the carriage being'trained around one set of stationary pulleys and one set .of movable pulleys, the other end of the cable extending from the carriage being trained around the other set of stationary pulleys and other set of movable pulleys, a lever on which the movable 'pulleys are mounted, a pair of links on which the lever is floated arranged to cause the movable pulleys to move in a substantially straight line when the lever moves, means to reciprocate the lever, and means to hold the ends of the cable 5. In a weft needle operating mechanism for a loom. a needle rail, a needle carriage to slide along the rail, two spaced sets of stationary pulleys, two sets of movable pulleys mounted to move in unison. a .cable attached at an intermediate point thereof to the carriage, one end ofthe cable extending from the carriage being trainedaround one 'set of stationary pulleys and tionary pulleys arranged transversely of the needle rail, movable pulleys rotatable about an axis transverse of the needle rail and spaced from each other in a direction transverse of said rail, certain. of said movable pulleys being farther 7 fromthe needle rail than other of the movable pulleys, a part of the cable leading from one side of the carriage. being trained around certain of the stationary and movable pulleys and the other part of the cable leading from the other side of the carriage being trained around certain other ofthe stationary and movable pulleys, certain ofthe stationary. pulleys being mounted to rotate in oblique plane so that the tops of said pulleys are at a distance from said needle rail different from the distance of the bottoms of said fpulleys from the needle rail, the strands of the cables extending from the'oblique pulleys toward the movable pulleys passing around different movablepulleys and the angle of incline:

.' tion of the oblique pulleys being such as to cause said strands to be substantially parallel, means to cause reciprocating movementv of the movable pulleys with respect to the stationary pulleys, and an anchorage for the cable ends to cause said ends to maintain the same relative position with respect to each other during the reciprocating movements of the movable pul- 8. In a weft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom, a needle rail, a needle carone set of movable. pulleys, the other end of the cable extending from the carriage beingtrained I around the other set of stationary pulleys, and the other set of movable pulleys, a leveron which the movable pulleys are mounted, a revolving shaft having a rotation for each pick of the loom,

riage to be reciprocated along the rail, a weft needle secured to and moving with the carriage, two spaced sets of stationary pulleys, two sets-of movable pulleys mounted to movein unison, a cable attached at an intermediate point thereof to the carriage, .one end of the cable extending from the carriage and being trained around one set of stationary pulleys and one set of movable pulleys, the other end of the cable extending from the carriage and being trained around the other set of stationary pulleys and the other set of movable pulleys, a lever on which the movable pulleys are mounted, a revolving crank, a link connecting the crank to the lever to move the latter generally in the direction of a line connecting the stationary pulleys, a second link pivoted to the lever and extending upwardly therefrom, a pivotal support for the upper end of the second link, a third link having one end movable about a fixed pivot, and means to attach the other end of the third link to the lever at a plurality of distances from the point of connection between the lever and the first named link which is connected to the crank, the crank causing reciprocation of the lever and means to with respect to an Axminster loom, a needle rail extending from one side of the loom, a needle carriage to be reciprocated along the rail, an inner bracket adiacent to the loom secured to and extending transversely of the needle rail, a second bracket secured to and extending transversely of the needle rail a iacent the outer end of the latter remote from the loom, a longitudinally extending member secured to the brackets and spaced from the needle rail, said needle rail, brackets and longitudinally extending member constituting a rectangular frame, stationary pulleys supported at the ends of said rectangular frame, a cable having an intermediate part thereof connected to the needle carriage and having those parts thereof extending away from the needle carriage trained around the statio y Pulleys, a set of movable pulleys located substantially within said rectangular frame, means to reciprocate said pulleys toward and from the stationary pulleys, the cable extending'from the stationary pulleys to and around the movable pulleys, and means to hold the ends of the cable in substantially fixed relation with respect to each other, movement of the set of movable pulleys causing movement of the cable to eiIect reciprocation of the needle carriage along the needle rail.

10. In a weft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom having a needle carriage to be reciprocated toward and from the warp shed of the loom, a fixed needle rail extending laterally from one side of the loom, a fixed longitudinally extending member substantially parallel to the rail and spaced from the latter, a pair of brackets to connect the rail and the member, one of said brackets being located adjacent to the loom at one end of the rail and the other bracket being located at the outer end of the rail remote from the loom, said rail, member and brackets constituting a rectangular frame fixed with respect tothe loom, a stationary pulley supported by one of the brackets and located substantially within said frame, a second stationary pulley supported by the other bracket and located substantially within said frame, a set of movable pulleys located between said brackets, means to move said set of movable pulleys toward and from the stationary pulleys, a cable having an intermediate part thereof connected to the needle carriage, one part of the cable extending away from the carriage to be trained around one of said stationary pulleys and then to one of the movable pulleys and the other part of the cable extending in the opposite direction away from the needle carriage to be trained around the other of the stationary pulleys and then around another of the movable pulleys, andmeans to hold the ends of the cable substantially fixed with respect to each other, movement of the movable pulleys relatively to the fixed pulleys causing movement of the cable to effect reciprocation of the needl carriage along the needle rail.

11. In a weft needle operating mechanism'for an Axminster loom having a needle rail and a needle carriage, a pair of spaced stationary pulleys, a set of movable pulleys, a cable extending from the needle carriage around the stationary pulleys and to and around the movable pulleys, the ends of the cable remote from the needle carriage being substantially fixed with respect to each other, operating means to move the movable pulleys relatively to the stationary pulleys to effect motionof the needle carriage along the needle rail, an oscillating lever forming part of said operating means and supporting the movable pulleys, the cable leading from a stationary pulley adjacent to one end of the needle rail being trained around two movable pulleys onone side of the lever and around a third pulley on the opposite side of the lever, the sum of the distances of said two pulleys from the lever being substantially equal to the distance of the third pulley from the lever.

12. In a weft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom having a needle rail and a needle carriage, a pair of spaced stationary pulleys, a set of movable pulleys, a cable extending from the needle carriage around the stationary pulleys and to and around the movable pulleys,

the ends of the cable remote from the needle carriage being substantially fixed with respect to each other, operating means to move the movable pulleys relatively to the stationary pulleys to effect motion of the needle carriage along the needle rail, a lever forming part of said operating means and having the movable pulleys mounted thereon, said movable pulleys being arranged with their axes transverse of the cable and there being an even number of movable pulleys, the cable from a stationary pulley adjacent to one end of the needle rail being trained around two of the movable pulleys in front of a center line parallel to the needle rail dividing said movable pulleys into two equal groups and then around a third movable pulley behind said line, the sum of the distances of said two pulleys measured in front of said line being substantially equal to the distance of said third pulley measured rearwardly from said line.

13. In a weft needle operating mechanism for I needle carriage, a pair of spaced stationary pulleys, a set of movable pulleys, a cable extending from the needle carriage around the stationary pulleys and to and around the movable pulleys, the ends of the cable remote from the needle carriage being substantially fixed with respect to each other, operating means to move the movable pulleys relatively to the stationary pulleys to effect motion of the needle carriage along the needle rail, an oscillating lever forming'part of said operating means and supporting said movable pulleys, the latter being arranged along an axis transverse of the cable and rotatable with respect to and movable with said lever, the parts of the cable extending to and around the movable pulleys from one side thereof engaging certain of the movable pulleys in such relation that the sum of the distances between those pulleys on one side vof a center line transverse of said axis and dividing the movable pulleys into two groups is equal to the sum of the distances between the remainder of said pulleys and the said line located on the other side of said line.

14. In a weft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom having 'a needle rail "and a needle carriage, a pair oi' spaced stationary pul-; leys, a set oi movable pulleys,.a cable extending from the needle carriage around the stationary pulleys and to and around the movable pulleys,

the ends oi the cable remote from the needle I set oi movable pulleys, a cable extending from the needle carriage-around the stationary pulleys and carriage being substantially fixed with respect to each other, operating means to move the movable pulleys relatively to the stationary pulleys to eirect motion of the needle carriage along the needle rail, said movable pulleys being arranged along an axis transverse of the cable and half of the movable pulleys being located on each side 0! a center linetransverse oi the axis and substantially parallel to the cable, half at said movable pulleys cooperating with portions of the cable extending toward one end of the rail and the 4 other hall of said movable pulleys cooperating with the other part 0! the cable extending toward the other end of the needle'rail, the sum or the moments acting on said axis and on opposite sides or said center line with respect to those parts oi! the cable extending toward either end of the needle rail being equaL. y 15. In a weft needle operating an Axmlnster' loom having a needle rail and a needle carriage. a set of stationary pulleys locatedadjacent to each end oi the needle rail, a

mechanism for to and around the movable pulleys, the ends oi parallel to the cable, the parts of the cable extending irom each end 01 the needle rail lying 1 on opposite sides oi said center line, the sum of the moments exerted on said axis on opposite sideso! said center line by those portions of the cable extending to either side of the movablepulleys'being equal substantially to the sum of the moments exerted on the opposite side of said 0 center line, the stationary pulleys in contact with those parts of the cable extending to movable pulleys on opposite sides of said center line being mounted to rotate in oblique planes so that the tops of said. oblique stationary pulleys are at a distance from the needle rail other than the distance of their bottoms from the needle rail.

a OSCAR V. PAYNE. 

